In the beverages-producing industry, it is well-known that plastic preforms must first be heated and then, in the heated state, formed or expanded into plastic containers, for example, using a stretch-blow moulding machine. Normally, the plastic preforms are guided onto a plurality of holding elements and transported along heating devices, such as infrared heating devices.
It is also well-known that when the plastic preforms have small diameters, narrow pitches of the transport devices, for example transport chains, are provided. Small, narrow pitchers are preferable with respect to energy terms than larger pitches, since a mutual heating effect of the plastic preforms can occur and minimum heat can escape between the respective plastic preforms. Furthermore, developments towards more energy-efficient methods and techniques are known.
Thereby, the output rate of subsequent machines, for example stretch-blow moulding machines, continues to increase. In conventional systems, the plastic preforms are typically delivered directly from a holding device, such as a heating mandrel, via a clamp of a further transport star, such as a pitch delay star.